


Theme Challenge

by Townycod13



Category: South Park
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-10 08:56:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14733914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Townycod13/pseuds/Townycod13
Summary: Disconnected oneshots for a random 30 theme challenge.





	1. Holding Hands

**Author's Note:**

> Fic beta'd by Panaceaa! <3

The hand was warm and soft. Inviting and kind.   
  
Kenny hated it.   
  
The sweet smile. The breathless kindness.   
  
It was wrong.   
  
The hand in his own belonged to a sweet person with a kind smile. The sort of person that anyone would be lucky to hold hands with. The sort of person that anyone should be happy with.   
  
Gentle assurances that his hands would warm up with casual comments about how warm his heart must be.   
  
He hated it.   
  
A rough and larger hand. One that had gripped his without warning. One that had guided him through a crowd while going off on a tirade.   
  
That hand had been cold, he remembered, did that mean it belonged to a warm heart?   
  
"You're a million miles away, Ken. Who are you thinking of?"   
  
He untangled his hand, lamenting the cold air it left him with.   
  
How did one answer a question like that? Honesty was out of the question.   
  
"Why do you think there's a 'who'?"   
  
Her smile was understanding and he was forced to recall every reason he loved spending time with her. Why she struck him as such a catch. Tammy was amazing.   
  
"Because I know."   
  
Well, there was no arguing with that logic. Kenny sagged in on himself.   
  
"Someone a bit crueler than you." he said.   
  
"Oh?" she pressed.   
  
Kenny nodded, "A boy who never gave a fuck whether I lived or died. Didn't pity me or treat me kindly. A boy who thought my house was unsanitary and would ditch me on a moments notice. A boy that never fucking prioritized me. Who's never there for the little shit."   
  
"Why is your mind on him then?"   
  
"Because despite all his bullshit he was always there. If I were on my death bed, he'd be right there reading me get well cards. If I was going to get arrested for vigilantism, he'd take the fall for me. If shit gets real, I know he'll be there. And that sucks because I know he doesn't give two fucks about me its just... who he is, ya know?"   
  
Tammy patted his shoulder gently, "Sounds like a real asshole."   
  
He knew she would understand, "He really is."   
  
"You have shit taste in men, Ken."   
  
"I know right?"


	2. Cuddling somewhere

"Kenny?"  
  
"Hm?"   
  
"Where the fuck are we?"   
  
"...if I said 'somewhere' would that qualify as an answer?"   
  
Kyle wriggled against him, head popping up to glare at him, "What do you think, asshole?"   
  
Kenny sighed, "Okay, so if I said you don't want to know, you would say..."   
  
"I'll decide whether I want to know or not."   
  
"...thought so."   
  
Kenny unzipped his jacket, allowing Kyle to escape the confounds of the oversized orange parka. It wasn't long before he took in the scene around them.   
  
"Kenny?"   
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Are we in hell?"   
  
Kenny squinted at the surroundings, just for confirmation of what he already knew, "Yep, yeah, definitely hell. Don't worry though, I know the owner."   
  
"Kenny?" he had that strained voice he always got before he became truly pissed.   
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Put me back in the fucking jacket."   
  
"Aye, aye, Cap'n!"   
  
Kyle's arms snaked around him beneath the fabric, head buried in his chest. Kenny tried not to mind his mile-a-minute pulse and instead wrapped his arm around the confused and angry teen.   
  
"Are we dead?" Kyle's voice was softer, scared maybe.   
  
"Nah, just me."   
  
"Oh... why am I here then?"   
  
"So far as I can tell Cartman got his hands on some shitty grimoire and had you banished down here."   
  
"...sounds like something the fat asshole would do. So what, you found me and decided to hide me in your jacket?"   
  
"Seemed like a good idea at the time."   
  
"Kenny?"   
  
"Hm?"   
  
"You're a good friend."   
  
That inspired a smile. It wasn't often he got such a declaration of fondness from the other boy.   
  
"So, you know Satan?"   
  
"We're in the same book club. This month we're reading the Tiffany Aching series."   
  
Kyle shifted, fingers drawing patterns in his back. Kenny tried not to think about it.   
  
"Is it a good series?" Kyle was distracting himself. Kenny wondered if the hellscape was really all that shocking to have Kyle so strangely docile.   
  
"I like it well enough, I'm only part way through the first book though."   
  
Kyle hummed in response, fingers gripping tighter to fabric of his shirt, "Will I be able to go home?"   
  
"Oh, yeah, no problems there. Satan has pretty much no interest in keeping the living down here." Kenny patted the other boys back, "He's a pretty reasonable dude, once you get to know him. Crap taste in men though."   
  
Some of the tension released from Kyle, "And you?"   
  
Kenny shrugged and Kyle's arms strengthened their grip, squeezing without comfort but with an odd sort of desperation.   
  
"I'm going to kick Cartman's ass when this is over."   
  
Kenny laughed openly, "Feel free to send him down here to hang out, I'm sure he'd have a blast."   
  
"...would you hide him in your parka too?"   
  
Kenny snorted, "Fuck no. Even if the fat asshole would fit he'd have to apologize for a plethora of things he doesn't even remember doing first."   
  
"Oh... what about Stan?"   
  
"Are you planning to send Stan down here?"   
  
"No, but, if he did get sent down here, would you hide him like this?"   
  
Kenny weighed the question carefully, "Probably? I wouldn't want him getting dragged off into some insane drama down here."   
  
"And Butters?"   
  
"Maybe? Depends on how we're doing. Some days we're great pals and other days he's glaring at me like I'm his arch-nemesis or something. Oh, but I would make sure he got out of here in one piece, if that's what you're worried about. Why the questions?"   
  
"...don't know... just realized it's pretty comfortable in here. I can see why you're always wearing this old thing."   
  
The fabric wasn't all that comfortable, Kenny knew, but maybe it felt more comfortable in comparison to the literal hell around them.   
  
Kyle's fingers danced on his spine.   
  
He was sure to remind himself that Kyle was just anxious. There was no extra meaning towards the extended cuddles.   
  
And when Satan teased him about it at book club he was prepared to derail the line of inquiry with one about whether or not Tiffany would end up with Roland, the pompous son of a Baron.


	3. Gaming/watching a movie

Whatever was going on inside the damn damn distraction box could kiss his ass. Kyle unplugged the device without remorse, glaring at his two best friends as they stared in horror at him.

“What’d you do that for?!” Stan cried in horror.

Kyle held up the rather large stack of files that the three of them were  _ supposed _ to be pouring over, “I don’t know,  _ Stan _ , it’s like we have a big fucking project coming up and that actually  _ working _ on it like we planned to would be a good idea.”

“But--” Stan looked to Kenny for help, “-- _ Halo _ .” He finished, lamely.

“Is dated as fuck.” Kyle supplied and glared at the third member in the room, “You’re in trouble too, Kenny. You need this to pass the class, what are you doing?”

Kenny shrugged, hiding deeper into the folds of his orange parka and avoiding eye contact. Kyle’s stomach flopped momentarily. Was playing freaking  _ Halo _ that important to him? Stan’s rage he expected but Kenny normally just saluted when chastised and got to work.

He wasn’t one to just withdraw grumpily, pulling the drawstrings shut on his parka.

“You okay, Kenny?”

Stan squawked, “Why does he get concern when I got a passive aggressive rant! You’re playing favorites.”

Kenny finally joined the conversation, a muffle from within the folds, “No, if he was playing favorites, you would be off the hook, Marsh.”

It was so surprisingly grouchy sounding that even Stan looked concerned now, “What’s up, Ken?”

“Nothing.” The boy drew further in on himself before pulling out his smartphone and opening an app game. The two super best friends looked at each other helplessly.

No one really knew how to draw Kenny out of a  _ mood _ . The dude was chill as fuck. He didn’t  _ get _ moods. Not to their knowledge at least.

The assignment wasn’t going to get any more finished at this rate either, Kyle mourned inwardly.

“I’m gonna...” Stan really couldn’t stand awkward standoffs like this, he searched so obviously for an excuse, “...Just gonna pop downstairs for snacks. Be back soon.”

Kyle rolled his eyes. ‘Soon’ in this context probably meant whenever he heard shit return to normal. It was well enough though, it would probably be easier to figure out what was up with Kenny if they didn’t look like they were ganging up on him.

Kyle sat down next to the remaining boy, peeking over his shoulder at the game, “What are you playing? Some weird anime thing?”

“Yeah.” Kenny replied, supplying no extra detail.

“What’s it called?”

Kenny’s response was some garbled Japanese and Kyle remembered that he didn’t actually speak the language. He sighed, “Look, what’s got you so grumpy, dude?”

“Nothing.”

“You’ve said that. But you’re also acting like a child. Come on, Ken, what’re you so upset about?”

Kenny’s character in the game died and he looked up, blues barely visible in the hidden mass. Kyle’s heart stuttered and he willed it to mind its own business. This wasn’t the time to be a weirdo about Kenny.

“Nothing.” Kenny repeated for the third time but his eyes remained locked in place and Kyle couldn’t look away.

“Okay.” Kyle said, “Let’s say it’s nothing. Is there anything we can do to make it better?”

Kenny looked away and laughed. It was a cold and derisive sound.

“No.” he brought his knees to his chest, Kyle wondered if he realized exactly how vulnerable his posture looked, “Thanks for asking though.”

Fine. He’d give up on the studying for tonight. They’d finish the dumb project  _ somehow _ . For now something was really bothering the other boy and if there was nothing he could do…well, he’d just do his best.

“Alright. I’m gonna go grab Stan and we’ll play stupid Halo.”

A hand reached out and stopped him just as he stood, gripping his wrist hesitantly, “No… let’s do the project. I’m sorry. I’m okay. It’s nothing.”

Kyle’s mental tally counted four times. He twisted his wrist to hold Kenny’s hand and tug him up.

Surprised blue met him and he shrugged, “Then we’ll get some work done. And if you want to talk about ‘nothing’, just let me know, okay dude?”

“...Okay.”


	4. On a Date

The scenery wavered.

Kyle stared blindly at his hand. 

He was holding something.

He knew he was holding something. Logically, he was holding something tightly and unwilling to let go.

The scenery stuttered.

He tried to move away, hand still full of nothing but felt an unexpected drag. Like he was carrying something heavy.

He brought his unseeing gaze back to his digits. Clenched. Holding. Desperate. Clinging.

The scenery fluttered.

The weight didn’t go away and he couldn’t move away without letting go.

_ No-- _

He wouldn’t let go. Never. Never. Never.

He moved his eyesight to the sky. A clear blue. A beautiful expanse of color freckled with clouds.

He looked back down, as if jerking his sight from one to the other would allow his vision to adjust.

He saw an expanse of blue. Unseeing. Dull.

He saw splashes of red, painful, glaring.

He snapped his eyes back to the sky.

Clenched his hand.

Why was he at an amusement park?

Why was he alone?

What was he dragging behind him?

He kept moving. Slowly.

The scenery adjusted.

“Did you wait long?”

Kyle released his burden and smiled whole-heartedly at his approaching boyfriend.

“Kenny! What took you so long?”

Kenny’s eyes, seeing and observant, paused at the discarded burden.

Paused to take in the sight that Kyle still couldn’t see.

Then, without missing a beat, took Kyle’s hand into his own. A brisk pace away from the haunting form, eaten away by rats.

“Oh, you know, the crowds here are lethal.”


End file.
